Water Filter Buyer’s Guide for 2018

Choosing the right water filter can be a headache. Many people have no idea what to look for in a water filter and just buy one based on reviews and then get upset when it doesn’t live up to their expectations.

Here, you’ll find a brief summary of the different types of water filters and you’ll find out the benefits and drawbacks of each type. Learn how they work,

Activated Charcoal Filters

Charcoal or Carbon filters are the most common and least expensive filters you can buy. You can actually make activated Charcoal simply by burning wood and spaying water on it. I have done this with coconut husks and just set them on fire until they are charcoal, jammed the charcoal into a PVC pipe and put my water though it. It tasted great!

This technique is used by distillers to purify there vodka, rum, whiskey, etc. By running the alcohol through the filter it removes all the impurities and you are left with a superior product. Which is why you will see on a premium bottle it say triple filtered. This means they are running it through the filter three times.

There are a ton of uses for charcoal and it can be used to brush your teeth, help with a hangover and of course filter your water.

I’ve actually been brushing my teeth with coconut charcoal for a few years now and people used to think I was crazy!

It works amazingly well and doesn’t leave that minty flavor in your mouth. Not to mention the extra flouride I like to stay away from.

You will usually find activated charcoal in ALL filters.

Sediment Filters

Have you ever turned on your water and it’s not exactly clear?

These sediment filters are added to water filters to remove solids (usually dirt, sand, etc.) that gets into your water. Sediment is naturally occurring and when it rains the earth erodes and you will see sediment get into a river.

When the water is transferred from its source to your home, there are often tiny pieces of sediment in the water, such as metals, dirt, rocks, etc. 100 years ago it would have been find to drink most sediments but however now they are finding dangerous chemicals, plastics, and all sorts of weird stuff in the drinking water of most states.

You want to filter out this, especially if you live in a city.

A sediment filter acts like a strainer and just holds the sediment in the filter. It builds up in the filter and you will have to replace the filter within a short period of time if you have a lot of sediment being filtered.

Many filters that filter < 200 gallons (such as the PUR 3 stage) use a sediment filter and this is why you have to replace them so often. If you don’t want a sediment filter you can get a long life out of your filter.

Counter Top Filters

A countertop water filter connects to your water line and act as a secondary water faucet.

They are small filters that are one step better than the faucet or pitcher water filter systems. You can put it right next to the sink and use your sink to do dishes. You can also use these in bathrooms.

The good thing about this type of filter is that you’re getting much more gallons filtered than your average faucet water filter.

Rather than 100 – 200 gallons, you’re getting 1,000+ gallons.

They remove more than faucet filters because they are larger.

Most of the countertop water filtration systems come in different stages:

Stage 1 removes the sediments, such as heavy metals and Chloramines.

Stage 2 gets rid of Chlorine and Odor using the Activated charcoal.

Stage 3 uses KDF Filtration media to remove many other microorganisms and stops the speak of microorganisms.

Stage 4 are the little Calcite beads that make your water taste better and increases your waters alkalinity.

Stage 5 adds more Alkaline which helps to prevent diseases and slow the aging process. It also helps slow bone loss

Why Use Countertop Water Filtration?

As you can see, there are many different water filters out there. Each of them has good and bad thing about them.

Let’s take a look at why the countertop water filter is becoming more and more popular.

Possibly the easiest type of water filter to maintain and use. The water filter pitchers are probably the easiest but even those have their problems.

Removes Fluoride

Possibly the only way to remove flouride from your tap water without spending a lot of money is a countertop water filter.

Not all countertop water filters remove fluoride and only a few like the Big Berkey BK4X2 can totally eradicate fluoride.

This fluoride & arsenic filter that can be used to filter 1,000 Gallons of water.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many other good flouride removal filters out there.

Lasts Longer

The larger the water filter, the longer it will last. Which means you save money on replacement filters.

The downside to this is that the replacement filters cost more money but they will last about one year before you have to replace them.

We covered the different stages above and not all filters use the same process but most of them do.

You can see that this process is identical to most filters, just bigger.

Portable Water Filters

I bought one of these a few years ago for a camping trip and loved it. To be honest, the only time I use it is when I’m out in the wilderness and it’s always a good idea to have one handy.

Many people love to go camping and hiking and if you don’t have access to clean water, then your entire trip can be ruined.

Most of the good portable filters allow you to change modes, from slow to fast. If you’re out in the wilderness, you don’t really need your water fast but I guess it can come in handy.

You can filter about 1 liter per minute with the fast setting, which is very fast.

The filter lasts for about 13,000 gallons, which should be enough for a lot of camping trips.

Water Filter Pitchers

Personally, I’ve had some bad experiences with these and prefer not to use them. The first one I bought broke, so I replaced it and decided to get a bigger one and then it didn’t fit in my refrigerator.

The good thing about them is that they’re pretty darn cheap.

For about $20, you can filter about 40 gallons which is not as good as faucet water filters at 200 gallons per month.

It’s not a bad idea to have one of these pitcher filters on reserve just in case.

My only complaint is that they don’t filter much water (40 gallons) before you have to replace them.

The initial filter is cheap and then you find yourself spending a bunch of money each month on replacements.

Reverse Osmosis Filters

I used to live next to a place that had a big reverse osmosis system and would charge $.40 for a 5 gallon jug of there water. It was some of the best water I ever tasted. They would also use UV light and pump oxygen into the water.

However, buying something like that for your home would set you back a few thousand dollars.